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How to Create Universes Using BEx Queries as Data Sources with SAP BusinessObjects Information
Design Tool 4.1
Applies to:
SAP BusinessObjects Information Design Tool 4.1 with SAP BW 7.31.
Working title: How to create universes using BEx Queries as data sources with SAP
BusinessObjects Information Design Tool
Summary:
This paper provides a step by step description incl. screenshots to create universes on top of a BEx Query
using Information Design Tool.
Using this approach provides a unique new functionality to bring multiple sources, now also including BEx
Queries, together in one common semantic layer using Information Design Tool 4.1.
The new functionality can be an important supplement on how one can manage the BI Metadata in one
place and for future growth. The result from the exercise can for instance be used to redesign and simplify
the BI Metadata layer with the purpose of consuming data from multiple sources in Web Intelligence reports,
Dashboard Designer and explorer or any other BI tool that is capable of consuming BusinessObjects
Information Design Tool universes (UNX).
Without evaluating a common BI metadata model there is a risk of having to increase maintenance, and
reporting functionality might not be as quickly available for end users as it can be made with the approach
described in this article.
Author Bio
Kurt Holst (kurt.holst@sap.com) is an expert on SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise
architecture, configuration and performance optimization. Kurt has worked with most major
OLAP databases, SAP NetWeaver BW and relational databases together with different BI
reporting tools. Before joining SAP Kurt has worked as a BI Architect & developer both
internal and as an external consultant. Furthermore Kurt has been attached to the university
as an external lecturer on Business Intelligence, Data Warehouse & Data Mining. Kurt works
on the Business Analytics Services team in SAP Denmark.
Company:
Last update:
SAP
May 21, 2013
How to Create Universes Using BEx Queries as Data Sources with SAP BusinessObjects Information
Design Tool 4.1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
AUTHOR BIO .................................................................................................................................................... 2
1.
2.
HOW TO PREPARE THE BEX QUERY FOR CONSUMPTION IN IDT 4.1 ..................................... 8
3.
HOW THE INFORMATION DESIGN TOOL CONSUMES THE BEX QUERY ............................... 11
4.
5.
How to Create Universes Using BEx Queries as Data Sources with SAP BusinessObjects Information
Design Tool 4.1
Version-log :
Date
Name
Alteration Reason
Version
08.04.2013
Kurt Holst
Initial Document
0.1
08.04.2013
Kurt Holst
0.2
09.04.2013
Kurt Holst
0.3
10.04.2013
Kurt Holst
0.4
29.04.2013
Kurt Holst
0.5
05.05.2013
0.6
10.05.2013
0.7
21.05.2013
1.0
How to Create Universes Using BEx Queries as Data Sources with SAP BusinessObjects Information
Design Tool 4.1
How to Create Universes Using BEx Queries as Data Sources with SAP BusinessObjects Information
Design Tool 4.1
As shown on the overview of the SAP BusinessObjects Enterprise Architecture the APS is a part of
the Processing tier. The BI4.1 platform is by default installed with one Adaptive Processing Server
(APS) per host system.
The Adaptive Processing Server is a generic server that hosts multiple services responsible for
processing various requests. Services that can be hosted on this server include: Adaptive
Connectivity Service, BEx Web Application Service, Client Auditing Proxy Service, Custom Data
Access Service, Data Federation Service, Document Recovery Service, DSL Bridge Service, Excel
Data Access Service, Lifecycle Management ClearCase Service, Lifecycle Management Console
Service, Monitoring Service, Multi-Dimensional Analysis Service, Platform Search Service,
Publishing Post Processing Service, Publishing Service, Rebean Service, Security Token Service,
Translation Service, Visual Difference Service, Visualization Service, Web Intelligence Monitoring
Service.
Definitions:
BICS" is short for Business Intelligence Consumer Services which is the connectivity allowing SAP
BusinessObjects tools such as Web Intelligence or Dashboard Designer.
DSL or The Dimensional Semantic Layer Bridge is what actually connects to BW. It is hosted by
the Adaptive Processing Server. The Adaptive Server hosting the DSL Bridge should be sized for
expected user load. The DSL is recommended to be the only service hosted by a particular
Adaptive Processing Server in anything beyond a small test environment.
BEx queries (Business Exchange queries) are queries created by SAP BEx Query Designer, based
on SAP Info Cubes in a SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse (SAP NetWeaver BW). BEx queries
retrieve the metadata from the data source.
How to Create Universes Using BEx Queries as Data Sources with SAP BusinessObjects Information
Design Tool 4.1
Remember to allow External Access to the BEx Query if this parameter isnt set you
wont be able to see the query from IDT:
How to Create Universes Using BEx Queries as Data Sources with SAP BusinessObjects Information
Design Tool 4.1
From the SAP GUI go to transaction code RSRT Query Monitor. This would normally be an area where
you should ask your SAP Basis / Administrator colleagues to assist performing these configuration changes.
Query as InfoProvider
On the Query Properties screen in Query Monitor, you can stipulate whether the selected
query should be used as an InfoProvider.
Enable Query is used as InfoProvider lets Information Design Tool use the BEx Query:
How to Create Universes Using BEx Queries as Data Sources with SAP BusinessObjects Information
Design Tool 4.1
With the Query is used as InfoProvider check box selected, Information Design Tool 4.1
is able to retrieve this as a data source as shown in the following sections of this article.
This setting also makes it possible to perform high-performance analyses, especially on
queries that are simple but contain a very large amount of data, i.e. over a million cells.
You can still index data from all InfoProviders based on the query using query snapshots
in SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse Accelerator (see Creating and Managing BWA
Indexes in the BW System and Indexing BW Data in SAP NetWeaver BW Accelerator).
You can get an overview of the BWA Indexes in the system for the query snapshot by
pressing Query as InfoProvider in BWA Index Maintenance (transaction RSDDB). The
system uses a BWA index for a query snapshot when its timestamp is not older than the
InfoProvider that the query is based on (see BWA Index Settings Tab Page). If you want to
use the selected query as an InfoProvider, set the relevant flag. The system checks
whether this is possible. Press to call the Display Logs dialog box. The system indicates
whether the selected query can be used as an InfoProvider.
10
How to Create Universes Using BEx Queries as Data Sources with SAP BusinessObjects Information
Design Tool 4.1
Click on a folder where you want to create your new connection to the BEx Query.
11
How to Create Universes Using BEx Queries as Data Sources with SAP BusinessObjects Information
Design Tool 4.1
12
How to Create Universes Using BEx Queries as Data Sources with SAP BusinessObjects Information
Design Tool 4.1
13
How to Create Universes Using BEx Queries as Data Sources with SAP BusinessObjects Information
Design Tool 4.1
Select an InfoProvider:
Select Clear and checkmark only Query Provider to see the BEx Queries that have been
made available by the option Query is used as InfoProvider described earlier in this
article. Select the BEx Query from the list and click finish:
14
How to Create Universes Using BEx Queries as Data Sources with SAP BusinessObjects Information
Design Tool 4.1
IDT will create the connection in the CMS database and then ask if you want to have a
shortcut created in your local IDT project. Click Yes and select the project where you want
the connection shortcut to be present.
You should now have your connection in a project of your choice. In this example the
project name is Using_BEx_Queries_As_data_sources_in_IDT41:
15
How to Create Universes Using BEx Queries as Data Sources with SAP BusinessObjects Information
Design Tool 4.1
Select the newly created connection as data source for your Data Foundation:
16
How to Create Universes Using BEx Queries as Data Sources with SAP BusinessObjects Information
Design Tool 4.1
Information Design Tool will create the Data Foundation for the chosen BEx Query:
From this point, all the functionality that IDT offers can be leveraged to provide end users
with a business layer that enables them to have easy access to a BI semantic layer and
create the reports, dashboards, predictive analysis, etc.
Create a Business Layer by right clicking on the project:
17
How to Create Universes Using BEx Queries as Data Sources with SAP BusinessObjects Information
Design Tool 4.1
IDT can automatically detect the Data Foundation and create a Business Layer if wanted:
Business Layer:
Test that the data is correct by creating a query in the Business Layer:
Change the names, reorganize the dimensions, attributes, measures, etc. and then the
final step is to publish the universe to the BI Platform repository:
18
How to Create Universes Using BEx Queries as Data Sources with SAP BusinessObjects Information
Design Tool 4.1
Test that your universe is working from the BusinessObjects frontend tools by creating a
new Web Intelligence document and using the newly published universe as a data source:
Web Intelligence query panel:
Congratulation you have now created a new Web Intelligence document using BEx
Query as data source.
19
How to Create Universes Using BEx Queries as Data Sources with SAP BusinessObjects Information
Design Tool 4.1
20
How to Create Universes Using BEx Queries as Data Sources with SAP BusinessObjects Information
Design Tool 4.1
The last step is to index the created Information Space & perhaps schedule it.
Go to the Home page of Explorer to access the newly created Information Space:
Congratulations.
You can now use SAP BO Explorer directly on a BEx query (please note the limitations
described earlier).
21
How to Create Universes Using BEx Queries as Data Sources with SAP BusinessObjects Information
Design Tool 4.1
22
How to Create Universes Using BEx Queries as Data Sources with SAP BusinessObjects Information
Design Tool 4.1
5. REFERENCE DOCUMENTATION
The following documents are referenced in this document:
DOCUMENT NAME
LOCATION
BEx Query as InfoProvider
http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw73/helpd
ata/en/4b/c347cd494650e9e10000000a
15822b/frameset.htm
How to APS
http://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-31711
http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw73ehp1/
helpdata/en/4f/362d9a25524014930392
2aa1a637e1/frameset.htm
https://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-32449
https://scn.sap.com/docs/DOC-31900
ISSUE DATE
Nov. 2012
20-09-2012
23
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